BUILDING A COLLEGE EXPLORATION LIST

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1 Name Date Completed BUILDING A COLLEGE EXPLORATION LIST To begin developing a list of colleges or schools to explore, we would like you to do several activities. They will not take too long and will help you to begin thinking or advance your thinking about what is important to you about your future education. At this point, you will be focusing, for the most part, on your tentative preferences. Keep in mind, as you go through this process, your goals and criteria will naturally change and become increasingly sophisticated as you acquire more information about yourself and various post secondary options. But, by indicating some preferences now, you will have criteria to help you put together your initial exploration list. Once you have completed the inventories, internet search and summary exercise, we will discuss the results with you in an individual appointment. This assignment should be completed and given to your counselor before you have your in-depth meeting with him/her about college possibilities. I. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU For each question, select the answer which best describes your needs. CIRCLE YOUR ANSWER. If you have no preference, leave the question blank. If you want to elaborate on any question, please do so. Your Preferred Academic Environment 1. What should be the main purpose of the school that you attend? a. preparation for a specific occupation (see question #2) b. broad, liberal arts education 2. If you selected preparation for a specific occupation, what fields interest you? a. business b. education c. engineering d. health care (nursing, physical therapy, medical technologist, etc.) e. pre-professional (pre-law, dentistry, medicine, etc.) f. technical fields (e.g. ) g. other ( ) 3. What field(s) did you find as good matches as a result of your 10th grade PLAN inventory? If you have an interest in a particular major at this time, what is it? 4. How interested are you in academic work (reading, writing, etc.)? a. enjoys almost all academic work; strongly enjoy the type of learning that takes place in school, also enjoy talking with classmates about school assignments outside of class b. strong interest in certain subjects (such as ) c. complete required work, but not necessarily with much enthusiasm 5. How much academic competition do you want from your fellow students at college? a. more challenging than Edina b. similar to Edina c. somewhat less challenging than Edina

2 6. What degree of challenge do you want the college s professors and curriculum to offer you? a. more challenging than Edina b. similar to Edina c. somewhat less than Edina Your Preferred Social Environment 7. What region(s) of the country do you prefer? (circle as many as interest you) a. East b. Midwest c. South d. Rocky Mountain states (egs. Montana. Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico; circle any state of special interest) e. West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington) Do you want to consider colleges/universities in Minnesota? Yes No Is there a region in the country where you would prefer NOT to go to college? If yes, name it: 8. What type of setting do you prefer? a. rural area b. within a major city c. suburbs in a metropolitan area d. no preference 9. How far way from home do you want to be? (circle up to 2) a. near home (close enough to go home for weekends) b. close enough to drive home for holiday c. greater distance from home is important d. no preference 10. What size do you prefer? (circle up to 2 or 3) a. smaller college (under 2,000) b. smaller midsize college/university (3,000-8,000) c. midsize university (8,000-12,000) d. large university (12,000+) e. very large university (20,000+) f. no preference 11. What types of activities (athletics, music, drama, etc.) do you wish to pursue in college?

3 12. What type of social life do you prefer? a. individual-centered social life (basically do things with a small group of friends) b. emphasis on group-centered social life (primarily fraternities and sororities) c. combination of the above 13. How important is a religious orientation/affiliation to you? a. desire a strong religious presence on campus If you circled a, what is your religion or religious preference? b. some religious influence on campus c. unimportant, little or no influence on campus 14. Describe your preferences for the composition of the student body. For each item, indicate whether it is very important, somewhat important or unimportant: a. geographic diversity b. representation of minority groups c. economic and social diversity Financial Considerations 15. How important is financial aid for college to you? a. very important b. important c. somewhat important 16. What types of financial aid interest you? a. grants b. loans c. work study d. local scholarships e. scholarships based on merit academic athletic performing arts (music, instrumental music, art) 17. Have you talked with your parents about financial aid?

4 II. ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT YOUR NEEDS Rate each of the following pair of items from 1 to 5 (1 indicates the highest agreement with the lefthand choice, 5 the highest agreement with the right-hand choice). You do NOT have to rate every pair. close to home far from home rural location urban center tough admission open admissions liberal student body conservative student body rigorous challenge mild challenge seeking a name school not seeking prestige complete independence many college rules varied mix of backgrounds similar backgrounds to my own tightly knit community collection of individuals religious influence no religious influence strong party tradition individual entertainment III. FISKE S SIZING-YOURSELF-UP SURVEY With apologies to Socrates, knowing thyself is easier said than done. Most high school students can analyze a differential equation of a Shakespearean play with the greatest of ease, but when it come to cataloging their own strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, many draw a blank. But selfknowledge is crucial to the matching process at the heart of a successful college search. The 30-item survey below offers a simple way to get a handle on some crucial issues in college selection and what sort of college, may fit your preferences. In the space beside each statement, rate your feelings on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 = Strongly Agree, 1 = Strongly Disagree, and 5 = Not Sure/Don t Have Strong Feelings. (For instance, a rating of 7 would mean that you agree with the statement but that the issue is a lower priority that those you rated 8, 9, 10.) 1) I enjoy participating in many activities. 2) I would like to have a prominent place in my community. 3) Individual attention from teachers is important to me. 4) I learn best when I can speak out in class and ask questions. 5) I am undecided about what I will study. 6) I want to earn at Ph.D. in my chosen field of study. 7) I learn best by listening and writing what I hear. 8) I would like to be in a place where I can be anonymous if I choose. 9) I prefer devoting my time to one or two activities rather than many. 10) I want to attend a college that most people have heard of.

5 11) I am interested in a career-orientated major. 12) I like to be on my own. 13) I prefer a college in a warm or hot climate. 14) I prefer a college in a cold climate. 15) I want to be near the mountains. 16) I want to be near a lake or ocean. 17) I prefer to attend a college in a particular state or region. 18) I prefer to attend college near to my family. 19) I want city life within walking distance of my campus. 20) I want city life within driving distance of my campus. 21) I want my campus to be surrounded by natural beauty. 22) I want my campus to be surrounded by people who are free-thinkers and nonconformists. 23) I like the idea of joining a fraternity or sorority. 24) I like rubbing shoulders with people who are bright and talented. 25) I like being one of the smartest people in my class. 26) I want to go to a prestigious college. 27) I want to try for an academic scholarship. 28) I want a college where the students are serious about ideas. From page XXV of The Fiske Guide to Colleges Reprinted with permission of Source Books, Inc., Naperville, IL. The Fiske Guide is an excellent resource including commentaries on over 300+ colleges throughout the country. IV. NAVIANCE/INTERNET SEARCH (Identifying Some College Possibilities) Using the information that you have acquired by completing the preceding inventories, go to Naviance, access the "Colleges" Tab, and do the "College Search" exercise. (To come up with some names, you may have to change preferences). Print out the results and bring them to the counselor meeting. After you do the Naviance College Search, pick one of the internet search engines below to come up with additional possibilities. Print out the results and bring them to the counselor meeting. (Explore Schools, then college, then Counselor-O-Matic) (finding the right college) Counselor Comment: These internet programs are a good way for you to see various criteria, and how changing them, affects a list of possibilities. Computer generated lists, of course, are only a beginning point. They can suggest possibilities, but frequently some schools generated will not be worth further consideration. Bring your Naviance results and one additional internet-generated list to your counselor appointment. Your counselor can be helpful in indicating the best matches based on your responses to the questionnaire.

6 V. COLLEGE VISITS Have you visited any colleges? Yes No If yes, please List them. What did you like/not like about them? VI. SUMMARY STATEMENT Based on these activities, including your computer search, please list, and explain, if necessary, the qualities of a college/school that you would like to attend VII. COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES/SCHOOLS/INSTITUTES WHICH INTEREST YOU NOW List any colleges/universities/schools/institutes which interest you now. What makes you interested in each one of them? Finally, take the information that you have acquired from these exercises, and return to Naviance. Go to Colleges. Based on multiple sources--internet-search programs, college visits, your own ideas, thoughts from family and friends, list in "Colleges I'm Thinking About", schools that you would like to explore. Another idea: after you put several schools in, click on any one of them to see overlaps from the applications of past Edina graduates. 2/10